Ravenclaw?
by Yawning Stuffios
Summary: AU Ravenclaw!Harry What if Harry was sorted in the Raven's house, instead of the expected? New things are brewing this time, and both sides of the Wizarding community are corrupt. What will The Boy Who Lived choose? Rating may change!
1. Chapter 1

I had this tory in my mind for a while, but I never had the time to actually write it down and finish it. So yeah, this is "Ravenclaw?" by Yawning Stuffios.

Warnings: None 'til now, though future chapters will... let's say... _twist the story_. *smirk*

Enjoy!

_-_

"RAVENCLAW!"

An immense silence filled the Great Hall. Gasps, slack-jaws, raised eyebrows. All kinds of facial expressions were present in the students and staff members of Hogwarts.

A thin little boy was installed in front of the Hall, an ugly hat covering his eyes. He sported too-big clothing, made for an overweight boy. However, Harry Potter wasn't overweight. In his mind raced several thoughts. He thought about his second friend ever, Ron Weasley and how he'll react. After all, from what he's heard, Ravenclaws are only intelligent and arrogant gits. He should've been a Gryffindor! Hagrid told him that his parents studied in Gryffindor, and he (well, not directly, but he dropped the hint) made him understand that he was expected to go to the same house. He took off the hat and gave it back to McGonagall. Then, he headed towards the blue table.

The silence was broken by a pair of hands clapping. Everybody turned to look at the blushing fifth year Ravenclaw. He hesitated for an instant, then continued clapping, harder than before. The Ravenclaws around him snapped out their shock and followed his example. Soon, the entire table was cheering for the new house member. He sat between another first year and the still-red fifth year.

"Welcome to Ravenclaw! I'm Bradley Chambers, fifth year. Sorry about the silence, but you know..."

"....everybody expected me to be in Gryffindor." finished Harry with a weak grin.

Now that Bradley stopped blushing, he could examined his face. He had sharp features, along with grey eyes. His hair, brown in color, was cut short. He kept smiling, but that same smile troubled Harry. He saw welcoming, a feeling he wasn't used to, along with pity. The bespectacled boy narrowed his eyes. Pity? He sure was malnourished and little, he wore hand-me-overs, but he didn't like pity!

The fifth year stopped smiling, examining the boy. He saw him narrowing his eyes, and he could deduce that he didn't like pity. After all, he'd seen the same gesture in a Slytherin's face when he'd taken him to the Infirmary Wing... He was about to say something when the other first year talked.

"Hey! I'm a first year too! My name's Terry Boot, wanna meet my friends?"

He saw nervousness excitement and... fear in the small boy's eyes. Just what the hell has happened with Harry Potter? He watched the Boy-Who-Lived be dragged by the other boy, amusement and pi... _sympathy_ in his eyes.

He promised to himself that he _will_ discover what's wrong with Harry Potter

"Zabini, Blaise!"

"Ravenclaw!"

He absently clapped at the new Ravenclaw, but his mind was somewhere else. A brilliant idea came to his mind. He could volunteer for tutoring the first year, although he knew it was going to be a hard fight. After all, every Ravenclaw would like to tutor Harry Potter... Now, he needed a girl to help him. His eyes brightened and he smirked. He turned back, his eyes full of malice.

"Sarah? I have a deal you can't refuse..."

His victim shuddered. "What are you planning now, Bradley? And no, I won't try casting an Arousement Charm on Mrs. Norris. Not again."

_-_

Harry ate calmly, amused by his new acquai... _friends_ 's antics. While Terry was very out-going and rather loud, his other friends were far calmer.

Mandy Brocklehurst was a pretty, smart girl. While she was shy, she gave smart answers and actually braked Terry when he went on his dramatic tirades. Harry had been very amused when he saw the little admiring glazes she sent to the loud Ravenclaw, when he wasn't looking. He actually smirked when he catched her eyes. She had blushed very brightly, and looked down to her plate.

Michael Corner was a jester: always cracking a joke and smiling through the whole feast. He was quite good at Pureblood culture, even if he was a Halfblood. He had spent all the meal talking with Harry about magical customs. He also had a great appetite: he hadn't stopped eating.

Padma Patil was perhaps the quietest, shiest girl Harry had met, though he hadn't met much. She only talked when asked, and did so with in a low, submissive tone. To his embarrassment, Harry had seen her _glaring_ at him during the whole dinner. What had he done, now?

Maybe Ravenclaw wasn't so bad...

"Mr. Potter? Follow me, please." Professor McGonagall, who seemed to appear from thin air, asked. No, _ordered _him.

"Guys, I think it'll take a while. I'll see you later!" Harry followed the Gryffindor's Head of House out the Great Hall, leaving his new "friends" puzzled. Why McGonagall should demand his presence during the first hours of school?

They knew the boy didn't exactly considered them friends, but he wasn't hostile though. He listened politely, didn't talk much and asked smart questions. Other than that, it was obvious that they had to earn his trust.

Their thinking was interrupted by Dumbledore giving his post-dinner talk. But the question remained in their minds.

_What's wrong with Harry Potter?_

_-_

_Later that night, at one of the Slytherin's first year shared rooms…_

"What interests you so much on that boy, Draco?"

The Malfoy heir snapped out of his reverie, glaring accusingly at his best friend. He saw the other boy's eyes were full of curiosity and worry. Sighing, he pulled the boy on his bed, shut the curtains and casted a silencing charm.

"What the hell are you talking about, Nott?"

Theodore Nott rolled his eyes and sat down on lotus position. The blonde aristocrat could be stubborn, and it would be a long night.

"You heard me right, Draco. I noticed that since that day at Madame Malkin's, you've obsessing over Harry Potter. What's the problem?"

In the blonde's face dawned surprise and horror. He looked at his childhood friend desperately.

"Was it that obvious?"

Theodore couldn't resist any longer: he broke into laughter. He laughed even harder when the offended pureblood whacked him with a pillow, but calmed into giggles when the now-enraged Malfoy reached for his wand.

"Wow there, Draco, calm down! It's just funny that you were actually horrified… "He let out another chuckle and continued: "But don't worry; only I noticed."

Draco only glared at him.

"Anyway, you haven't answered my question. What do you find so amazing on the Boy Who Lived?"

The Malfoy heir just sighed again and laid down. Minutes passed, and he finally answered:

"I just can't take away my mind from the fact that he killed the Dark Lord."

Theodore just arched an eyebrow.

"…and I'm confused. I mean, I always thought the defeater of the Dark Lord was to be honoured and spoiled! But look at the guy! He's freaking malnourished, his clothes are giant and he's a head lower than me!"

The Nott narrowed his eyes at his friend's burst of emotion. Draco was usually stone-hearted when talking about Light supporters. He voiced his thoughts to his friend, who blushed violently.

"How can you know that he supports the Light?"

"Are you suggesting we make a research on him?"

"No shit, Sherlock."


	2. Chapter 2

Corruption. Many societies have fallen by its hand, many more have risen. It is eternal, as long as the human being exists, corruption will be there, because it lives in the man's heart.

Fear. Fear feeds on the man's soul, slowly devouring it, _corrupting_ it. Making it become a carcass. Fear emanates from the unknown, and there shall always be things unknown: thus, fear.

Anger. Anger is what motivates lots - that destroys most. Anger is what makes the man self-destruct itself, when struck with pure anger and hatred. Anger lives from the person's bad situation: which everyone eventually passes.

And last but not least, regret. Regret exists as much as past actions do, because it steams from them. No one's perfect, nor are their doings: people always regret past decisions.

Azkaban was a place where all this reunited itself, and broke the prisoners' minds. No one can resist the anguish, the freezing atmosphere of the prison. The dementors only enhanced the mood, breaking the sinner's mind faster.

Not even the most powerful Occlumens could resist its mind-breaking atmosphere. Not even Sirius Black's regular cheerfulness and strength of will could save him from breaking down after some years in Azkaban, not to mention that he had an "exclusive treatment" – courtesy to his parents' hatred for their old son. These old timers were killing him from the grave, and deep down he knew he deserved it. To rot in this prison, fed just enough to live, but not enough to think. He was a vegetal, but a thinking one at it. That was the bad part: he was the dementors' favourite prey: not yet dead, but so close to it that he was their easiest food; full of good memories, didn't have the will to retain them.

However this would all change. His lawyer – since he had one, though it was clear that the man was as biased as Crouch had been – had arranged his transfer to a muggle asylum, pleading insanity to the Muggle Prime Minister: a particularly low blow for the Ministry for Magic, since it meant that they weren't capable to resolve their own affairs. The Other Minister, having heard of Black from the current minister, had accepted the plead after being assured that the mass murderer was in a vegetal state. He was to be transported to some American asylum – the only nation that had accepted a guy with such background.

Maybe this was a new chance. But this time he knew Dumbledore wasn't right. This time, if he was caught and arrested under the banner of Lord Voldemort, the charges would be right.

He would see Harry again, no matter what.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr. Potter? Would you please follow me?"

As the elder professor and the little eleven year old walked at a rapid pace through the seventh floor's corridors. Minerva found it bizarre that the boy wasn't surprised at Hogwarts' magnificent architecture, having spent all his life on a little cupboard.

This trail of thinking made the Transfiguration teacher furious at her superior. He had never agreed to let the young Potter go live with his muggle relatives, and when the headmaster had informed the staff about the Boy Who Lived being neglected, she had loudly voiced her disapproval. After a hard staring match against the old wizard, during which she raised all her Occlumency shields, Dumbledore had broken the glaring with a sigh, and when he turned to the rest of the staff to inform them of how he wanted them to act, she hadn't been the only one to protest.

Surprisingly, Severus Snape had sneered and added his own grain of salt. But that simple sentence had shattered every grain of respect she held for the older wizard.

"_Are you looking for another Tom Riddle, Headmaster?"_

He was.

'_What have I done now?'_

'_It isn't for what you've done, but for what they will!'_

'_But… I mean, Hagrid said that these people wanted to help me. And he isn't a good liar…'_

'_What if they convinced him otherwise?'_

Finding the current conversation with the voice in his head pointless, he wiped him mind from all thoughts, focusing only in walking.

Even if he'd been worried when the voice had first emerged, he had grown used to it. He knew (from a book Dudley threw at him) that this was a symptom of a mental sickness, but he didn't care. He even welcomed it, because it kept him from the loneliness. And he knew that the loneliness would damage his mind much more than a mental "disease".

He also knew he was acting suspiciously, as he didn't go "Ooh!" over Hogwarts' magnificence. He had to accept that the castle was pretty damn impressing, but the feeling that something was wrong submerged hum with worry. The walls seemed to _leak_ something, but he just couldn't figure it out.

He only knew that Hogwarts was warning him about something, and that something shouldn't be good…

He was woken up from his reverie by his new teacher whispering a password to a gargoyle, which jumped to the side, revealing a set of stairs. They rapidly climbed them, and Professor McGonagall knocked on the door, a sweet voice urging them to come in.

Harry knew that this voice wasn't so sweet…

"Great Gospel? Just what the heck are you talking about?"

Harry jumped on his bed, waking up startled. He wasn't much of a morning person, and the bags under his eyes, his slightly puffy eyes and chaotic hair proved it.

Unfortunately, Terry Boot didn't know that, and Harry was determined on teaching him. The hard way.

Terry saw his new friend turning his head towards him, pinning him with a killing stare and smirking deviously. He tried to bounce on his feet and run away from the evil Ravenclaw in front of him, but it was too late. Harry tackled him.

The Ravenclaw common room was submerged by its normal quiet chattering. Being bigger than the other common rooms, it was separated on two: the library and the actual common room. The library was full to the brink with books, though unlike the library they weren't only about school subjects. All the study tables were full with fascinated first years reading, even at this early time in the morning.

The other half of the common room was simply like any other common room: a cozy, warm place where students took their time off. All the older years were catching up with the events of the summer, talking about the on-going Quidditch World Cup, the newest interview of Rita Skeeter, the new teachers and, of course, heated discussions.

Bradley Chambers seemed rather busy. He was trying, unsuccessfully, to convince his best friend Roger Davies to tutor a first year.

"C'mon, man! Ya know, it could be fun! And you'd get girls, I'd get popularity…"

"How would tutoring a first year help me get girls?" Roger's stern tone did nothing to stop the other Ravenclaw.

"…fine. I'm sure Cho Chang will love to know you think she has a cute little butt…" This whispered threat made Roger's eyes go wide. His little infatuation with the girl 3 years his junior was something he hadn't told anyone, not even Bradley…

…though Bradley was an observant little bastard.

"…are you blackmailing me?" Rhetorical question.

"Depends on your answer!" The Ravenclaw chaser sighed heavily, knowing he was trapped. He had often been captured the same way by his manipulating friend, and though he could blackmail back (oh yes he could!), he could save the humiliating material for another situation. After all, tutoring a scared first year couldn't be that bad.

"But why do you wan—"

A scream interrupted him. A shrill, blood-curling, high-pitched scream. It was soon followed by to other equally terrifying screams. The Ravenclaw common room fell on complete silence, wondering were the screams come from.

The screams ceased, and the house started talking again. Some got up and started searching for the source of the screams. They could hear faint cries for mercy, coming possibly from a first year. However, they all were petrified by the evil laughter that rose.

Michael Corner and Blaise Zabini interrupted their conversation, thinking both about the same thing.

'_Terry!'_

They sprang to their feet and made a run for the first year dormitory. Climbing the stairs two per two, they whipped the door open…

…to find a sight that made them double over with laughter.

The entire Great Hall was surprised to see that, the first day, Saturday, of school, only a few Ravenclaws were present for breakfast. In fact, Dumbledore had sent Flitwick check on his house a few minutes ago, and he wasn't back yet. All the tables were full of people discussing about the other house's absence. Theories ranging from getting distracted by a brand new library (by the Slytherins) to getting killed on their sleep by Slytherins (of course, the Gryffindors) were vividly debated all around the Hall.

A loud chatter was heard from the outside of the Hall, filled with laughs and cheers. Through the doors flooded the members of the Raven house, quickly sitting themselves and resuming their talking.

Flitwick walked in some minutes later, blushing like a tomato. Behind him was an also-blushing Harry Potter, who was looking pointedly at his feet. He made his way to the Ravenclaw table and sat between Michael and Mandy. The other boy patted him in the back, telling him something and breaking into chuckles, making the Boy Who Lived light even more. The girl, on the other side, started lecturing him on something… something that seemed awfully like the "don't prank housemates" lecture Fred and George Weasley were used to get.

The two pranksters were surprisingly talking quietly between themselves, and throwing discreet looks at the Ravens. More particularly the Raven himself, who seemed to be getting a reputation among his housemates.

The two pranksters, though Gryffindors, were only so by name. In fact, their parents had made it very clear that they would be very pleased if they got in the Lion house, like all the Weasley family did before them. They had hesitated, torn between going were they belonged, and be shunned by their family, or else go where it was expected and not live like themselves. In the end, it was Fred who decided that he would go to Gryffindor. George had no choice but to follow him, as he was told countless times he should never part from his twin.

The pseudo-lions were actually hiding their most ambitious project from their housemates prying eyes, and preparing it for its first try. Actually, George was casting their last spell in the magical wonder.

"_Occuli tei mei__ sunt"_

His eyes went blank and his breathing slowed down considerably, but Fred wasn't worried at all. Nobody could see them, as they were just outside the Hall, having exited earlier when most of the Ravenclaws had entered.

"George, are you okay?"

His twin brother just smirked, and the small spider on his hands bounced off onto the floor. It quickly entered the Great Hall, making its way through the Slytherin side rather than the Gryffindor. Why? The Slytherin girls wore their skirts shorter, to go against their favorite Headmaster's rules. And because the twins didn't want their baby brother freaking out and destroying their precious work.

After gaping for a while at… well… you know, and almost getting stepped on by an irate Goyle, the little spider got to the Ravenclaw table. It quickly crawled up the table, and found himself just right next to Harry's bacon.

From the outside of the Hall, George nodded at his brother. The latter took out his wand and cast an unintelligible spell on his brother. A silver line shot out from the wand, connecting with his twin's forehead.

The twins' new spell consisted on one of the two guiding their spider to the objective, then the other one linking himself to the spider through the former, becoming the spider's ears.

The whole Gryffindor table turned around when they heard the twins fall from the chair and roll on the floor laughing.


End file.
